The Thirty-Sixth Stratagem: The Pitfall of Smoking Earth

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  What? Jin Yixuan is also involved in this matter? From the contract that was already written, it should have been completed on the day of leaving Chengde. This is clearly a trap that these people had thought out carefully beforehand. How did Jin Yixuan get mixed up in this too? And he's even willing to put up such a large sum of money himself? Liu Mingjiu's mind was filled with tens of thousands of whys, and he couldn't find the answers. In terms of status, the third son of the Jiang family is unknown how many times more noble than himself. In terms of military power, the troops that Xu Minghui can mobilize are dozens of times his own. In terms of wealth, this Pu Tie is somehow richer than Liu Mingjiu, who had to borrow money from Jin Yixuan to join this business. What do they want to achieve by pulling him into this? Liu Mingjiu couldn't think it through no matter how hard he tried.

  Yu Zhe stood to one side, saw Liu Mingjiu's expression of deep thought and couldn't find the answer, suddenly smiled and interrupted Liu Mingjiu's thoughts: "You don't have to think about this, inviting you to join us is also conditional. The third master and General Xu helped you get the overall patrol power of Jianbei six towns, hoping that after you do opium business with us, in the future, when dividing up your military fields, leave some out to plant a large number of poppy flowers next spring. By autumn next year, our goods will no longer rely solely on purchasing from those tobacco farmers. Moreover, if the soldiers you train are used to escort opium, I believe that no one will dare to have any ideas along the way."

  When Wu Zhe spoke out the true thoughts of these people, Liu Mingjiu suddenly realized. It turned out that by making himself the general supervisor of the six towns and delegating so many powers to himself, the master from Chaoyang had achieved two goals at once. Not only did he not commit a crime, but he also took a step closer to Jiang San Gongzi and General Xu, and he could also pull out an elite army from his own side after the war broke out. Liu Mingjiu thoroughly understood that he was still being led step by step into the trap designed by these guys who were good at plotting.

  If you follow along, then the power of the six towns will all be yours, and no one will dare to touch you. If you don't follow along, then based on this relationship between superiors and subordinates, it would be easier to crush a small regiment commander like you than to crush an ant. I know you're short on money, so I'll help you find a loan. With money, if you don't follow along and make some, then relying on Yu Zhe and that Jin boss, they can make you go bankrupt quickly. If you follow along, you will become like the remnants of those troops in the "Golden Triangle" who are infamous as opium soldiers. Sending troops to escort other goods is something no one would say too much about in any warlord's army. However, if you send troops to escort opium, then even people from the nearby Fengtian Army who support us will be the first to curse your mother and call you a loser in the military world behind your back. Liu Mingjiu, who knows the future development trend, of course remembers that he read in books that this land would become the territory of the "King of the Northeast" in a few years. If he becomes an opium soldier now, then what will happen to him if this place is taken over by Zhang Zuolin in the future?

  Liu Mingjiu was in a dilemma for the first time since he traveled through time to this era. Following them, at least he could protect himself before the Feng Army received Rehe. If he didn't accept them, his efforts over the past year would definitely be in vain, and if things went wrong, he wouldn't even know how he lost his life. It wasn't that he didn't want to maintain any reputation, but a person had to stay alive to do more things. Like those corrupt scholars who would rather "die as jade than live as pottery" for the sake of so-called reputation. When you're dead, what's the use of having reputation? Would your talent really be used to contribute to the King of Hell and those little ghosts in the underworld?

  Selling opium is indeed harming one's own compatriots, but it also harms those parasites living in this world. Who has ever seen farmers who work from dawn till dusk, laborers who rush about all day and only receive a meager salary at the end of the month, or small vendors who carry goods on their shoulders and run between cities and towns smoking opium? Among those who can afford to smoke opium, aren't they mostly landlords, capitalists, warlords, and those who get rich without working hard? In this era, or in the next, who has ever seen those ordinary people who have made great contributions to this country smoking opium? None. Those who can afford to smoke opium will never be ordinary people. If I don't do it now, I'll immediately be framed by these people. It's good if I can just save my life, at least I'll have the chance to find another way out.

  Moreover, the opium trade in Rehe at that time was also legal. Not long after Jiang Gui led his troops into Rehe, this conservative old warlord opened up the first ban - allowing people in Rehe to plant and sell opium. In a place where drug production and trade have been legalized, others will rush to do it if you don't.

  Yu Zhe stood by, seeing Liu Mingjiu's complexion gradually recovering its calmness, no longer so deeply furrowed. He then softly called out: "Officer Liu, Officer Liu."

  "Oh, haha, Boss Yu. I'm so sorry to have neglected you while thinking about something else. Please, please sit down and let's discuss further." Liu Mingjiu had already thought of what to do when he was awakened by Yu Zhe, so he immediately put on a smile again and offered Yu the seat of honor.

  Yu Zhe also saw that Liu Mingjiu had already figured it out. Liu Mingjiu's guess was correct, and all of this was the result of a plan he, Jiang San Gongzi, and Xu Minghui had been planning for over two months. They wanted to force Liu Mingjiu, who was skilled at leading troops and fighting, to join them as their supplier and risk-free vanguard. However, they did not intend to tell him about the sales channel, because they were thinking of how to make good use of this young man who could fight and had a reputation on the green forest road.

  Yu Zhe sat down and looked at Liu Mingjiu, who continued to smile and said, "Officer Liu, it's been over an hour now. How is your consideration going? The Third Master and General Xu are hoping for a quick response from our side."

  "This, this." Liu Mingjiu knew that he couldn't not get on their pirate ship, but still put on a very melancholic look, watching Yu Zhe ask in a tentative tone: "I don't know how much capital the three of you have invested in this business, how many trips of goods can be made in a month, and what kind of profit can be made?"

  Yu Zhe listened to Liu Mingjiu's question and knew that he had already agreed, so he stood up with a big laugh, took out another piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Liu Mingjiu: "Since you are willing to work with us, I won't hide anything from you. Take a look, this is our small account last month. Last month our capital was 1 million yuan, and the profit was 450,000 silver dollars. If you add the 300,000 from my uncle's side, we can use 1.5 million as capital next month, and at least make a net profit of 600,000."

  Liu Mingjiu's last bit of resistance in his heart also dissipated after hearing Yu Zhe's words. With a loan of 300,000 yuan, he could increase his income by at least 120,000 yuan within a month, which was enough to equip all 800 people with Mauser G98 rifles without considering military expenses. In a year, he would have the funds to equip tens of thousands of people with Mauser G98 rifles. No wonder later generations' "Golden Triangle", Colombia, and "Taliban" all engaged in opium economies to support their armies. With such huge profits at stake, how could terrorist organizations like them let it go? Later generations' countries, especially that global police state, probably didn't just crack down on drugs for the sake of the people, did they? Those profit-driven nations might not have been as genuinely committed to serving their people as his own country's materialism was.

  Thinking of this, Liu Mingjiu took the loan agreement from the table and no longer had the furrowed brow or the multitude of thoughts he had earlier. Instead, he signed his name on the agreement with a carefree expression and handed it over to Pu Zhe, then said with a flattering smile: "Please thank General Xu and Third Master for me for this great business opportunity, and don't forget my great kindness. As for how to do this business, I won't ask too many questions, so as not to have the situation where an outsider interferes with an insider and makes things more chaotic."

  "Haha, congratulations to Director Liu for taking another step forward with the Third Master, and I also wish you will become the youngest tycoon in Rehe. Puyi saw that Liu Mingjiu had signed the loan agreement, and then took out another agreement from his pocket and handed it to Liu Mingjiu: "I haven't told you, actually our tobacco business has a public name, which is 'Mao Li Co., Ltd.'. The Third Master is the chairman of the board, my younger brother Cha Bu Tu is the general manager. Now that I have accepted your 300,000 loan, tomorrow we can go to my uncle's money house to transfer the money into the company. You just need to sign this agreement now, and you will become a formal shareholder and a director holding 20% of the shares."

  What is a joint-stock company? This term Liu Mingjiu has been in this world for almost a year, and it's the first time he heard it. He couldn't have imagined that the definition of a company he had originally thought of using, but was afraid to use because it might be too advanced and raise suspicions, was actually being used by these gangsters first. It's really unknown why those so-called big shots on some island in the future, didn't use this method until many years later to reform their organizations into a corporate model.

  Liu Mingjiu took the agreement and was amazed as he read on. He couldn't help but admire that Jiang San Gongzi. The registered location of this "Mao Li Co., Ltd." was actually in Japan, which means that even if they were caught by the Feng Army or other warlords, as long as they produced the procedures certified by the Japanese, it's unlikely that any warlord would dare to offend the Japanese for a batch of opium.

  Liu Mingjiu suddenly thought of another level of problem, after signing the document and returning it to Pu Tie, he tentatively asked: "I don't know how San Gongzi registered the company in Japan? Is it not simple?"

  "Haha, the three of us are graduates of the Japanese Military Academy and have many Japanese friends." Yu Zhe said with a mysterious tone, looking at Liu Mingjiu and adding in a low voice: "Now the eldest son is illegitimate, the second son has no children, the fourth son is pretending to be noble, the fifth son died young, and the sixth son is still young. Hehe, you're a smart person, your future prospects are boundless."

  Liu Mingjiu was stunned for a moment after hearing him, but quickly understood. Jiang Guiti's physical condition has been declining day by day, and it seems that his sons are already thinking about how to compete for the throne of Rehe Province. Liu Mingjiu did not expect himself to be involved in such a struggle for succession, fortunately, he was very clear that Rehe would not become the Jiang family's hereditary territory in the end, and the Yi Army would also disappear from the Beiyang warlord sequence with Zhang Zuolin's takeover.